Several years ago, I was working as an educational specialist at a middle school in the inner city. The work was deeply meaningful, and some of my students made observable progress. But over time, the stress started to wear me down. I was giving so much to everyone else that I had little left for…
Many of us feel overwhelmed by the pace and demands of life. Polyvagal Theory helps us to understanding of the physiology of self-regulation and access tools to restore ourselves to our zone of tolerance. Here are some important concepts and terms: Polyvagal Theory – Polyvagal Theory according to Steven Porges – Our nervous system is…
At the beginning of March, I decided to experiment and create a multisensory tool to keep track of my thoughts, feelings, and sensations as I recorded my activities. Ideas for Journaling For years, I would buy an oversized teacher’s planner to use as a written agenda and journal. It was inexpensive and provided room to…
If you’re anything like me, you juggle tasks like a circus performer. How often do you drop a task? Do you forget to run an important errand? Do you arrive on time for a meeting, except the meeting is the following week? There are different kinds of tasks. Some tasks have to be done at…
It’s 7:30 am. We have to be in the car to drive carpool in twenty minutes. Our 8-year-old son is still in his pajamas. This happens every morning. I wonder if I should dress him myself or force him to go to school in his pajamas. I know one thing; this is a problem that…
Deb has just finished breakfast. She plans to go outside and play with her friends. Her friends are free until lunch time. After breakfast, her sister asks Deb to help her find her socks. At 10 am, Deb brushes her teeth and returns to her room. Deb is on her way out and mom asks…
As a homemaker and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who juggles family responsibilities and a profession, it’s not uncommon for me to feel overwhelmed. Since self-care starts at home, I decided to study Polyvagal Theory to update my understanding of the physiology of self-regulation. Terms to know Polyvagal Theory – Polyvagal Theory according to Steven…
You’ve done well! Here’s a badge! This kind of reward system is common in games. Feedback and reinforcement can produce learned behavior. This is called operant conditioning. However, sooner or later, extrinsic rewards time out and lose their power. Points for no value actually lower motivation. So what is it that keeps players in the…
Passover is a challenging holiday for most families I know, including mine. Let’s use the “Dayenu” song (It would have been enough!) to list some of the obvious triggers: Remove all food from the house. Dayeinu! Clean the kitchen perfectly and re-kosher the counters, sink, stove, and ovens. Dayeinu! Lock up the year-round dishes and…
What is a game? Although there are different opinions about the definition of a game, here is one which Jonathan Cassie presents in his book Level Up Your Classroom (p. 11): All games are a combination of the four “mother mechanics: Agon, Alea, Mimicry, and Ilinx. The notion of four mother mechanics comes from Roger Caillois,…
